Enzi looked at the two slain oxen, then to the Irregulars, “I guess we are walking the rest of the way.”
Ritter looked at the inhuman mercenaries, “This should be interesting.”
“I am wearing a circlet,” Rukiya said, “No one will question anything I do.”
The group gathered their few meager belongings from the wagon and continued on. They might have been able to drag the wagon to town, but finding any oxen for sale would have been impossible. Such things could only be bought from the farms to the far north. It was far more trouble than it would be worth. Eventually the group reached Cahriq. The group got several stares, but with Rukiya leading the way, no one said anything. Enzi kept to the rear of the group.
There was some rumor in town about movement out in the Brackenwater Barrens to the east. Ritter wondered if that was the separatists. It sounded like an area that no one lived in, a perfect place for the rebels to hide and strike from. As the mercenaries continued northwest, they were moving away from that area and headed towards what was mostly a more heavily inhabited area. At least until they neared the Standing Stones. The group kept on guard as they made their way along the well traveled roads.
Ritter wondered what people would make of the abandoned wagon and the dead bodies between Cahriq and Quom. The wagon had Enzi's name on the side. It was too late to worry about that, the group had to move on. Losing the oxen had slowed them, though only slightly. No one in the group was out of shape. Rukiya in particular was in excellent condition for hours of exertion. The Halz wondered what her training had been like. It was obviously effective.
The trip to Jahrom was without incident. They did not run into any problems on the next leg of their trip until they reached the town of Agadir. A temple to the war deity Chasar sat there, and the priest in charge halted the advance of the group. He gave a suspicious look to the monstrous mercenaries and to the extraordinarily young acolyte.
“You will excuse me if I find your group rather suspicious, miss?” the man asked.
“Bora. Rukiya Bora. Acolyte of Chasar, on a mission from Iskandar to the port city of Ubayyid.”
“Odd I had not heard of such a thing,” the priest said, “Come with me into the temple and I will get this sorted out.”
Ritter noticed the man wore a circlet much like Rukiya's. It had a single black gem set into it. However, instead of a crudely forged iron circlet, this was a finely crafted circlet of the purest gold. The Halz noticed that Enzi felt distrust for the priest, though Rukiya was unreadable. As an acolyte, Ritter was sure that Rukiya had to follow the orders of a senior priest. This felt like a trap to the Halz, but he didn't see any way out of it that wouldn't cause more trouble.
The group passed into the temple. The inside of the temple was frightening. Pictures of combat adorned the walls and weapons hung between them. Armor stands sat is strategic areas. This was like a barracks, but the Halz could feel the oppressive violent atmosphere choking the air. This was a place of war. Templars could be seen in training, keeping themselves fit. The sound of battle filled the area. The mercenaries were led to a small room. Ritter noticed all the walls and doors of the temple were reinforced.
“Just stay here for now, I will be back shortly,” the priest said.
He closed the door as he left. It was a heavy iron door and the group heard the lock slide into place. The group was well and truly trapped now, but Ritter noticed that Enzi and Rukiya both looked relaxed. The rest of the mercenaries looked as unnerved as the Halz felt. The last thing a small group of mercenaries wanted to be up against was a force of superior numbers and good training. Especially since the enemy had chosen the battlefield. Ritter couldn't understand why the two from Feergrus were taking things so well.
“I can't go against orders, but you seem relaxed, what is your plan?” Rukiya asked.
“I'm thinking of kidnapping a young acolyte named Rukiya,” Enzi replied, “All I need is enough of a ruckus to draw attention. If we can make the final push to Ubayyid, there are people there at the docks to aid us. This priest would have his templars after us anyway, might as well give you a cover.”
“I'll try to look innocent and helpless,” Rukiya said, “Most people believe that of me anyway. My youth has its advantages when it comes to disarming my foes' expectations.”
“Solid iron door with heavy bolt,” Enzi said, “Not sure even Aldebaran can break that down easily.”
“Well, it just needs weakened a little,” the young girl replied, “Then the kick down will make lots of noise to draw attention so they can see all of you carrying me off.”
Rukiya walked up to the door and concentrated. There was a loud hiss as acid formed out of nothingness. She nodded to the minotaur. Aldebaran charge towards the door and kicked it with one of his mighty hooves. The door flew open with a loud slam. The minotaur hefted up Rukiya as she mimicked being unconscious. The group stormed out of the room and towards the entrance. Ritter and Enzi led the way, each tackling a Templar guard at the entrance.
The group left the temple as yells sparked behind them. Enzi's Irregulars made a run northwards along the road. As they reached the edge of town they settled into a steady march. They would have to push themselves to keep the distance between them and their foes. However, all the mercenaries were hardened to such things. The biggest worry was any warriors taking panther form. The speed of the panthers might let them catch up. Luckily, the number of people that could do that transformation were few. As the priest of Chasar had to have learned tactics, he would certainly realize that in the open and without superior numbers, any battle would not be in his favor.
However, there was one problem. Ritter's short legs meant he was slower than the average human. He was always surprised at how well Eurysa could propel herself with her slithering. It meant that the Halz was the slowest member of the group. If the enemy pushed as hard as they did, they would catch up. It was unfortunate that all were not as quick as Mayitso in his four legged form. The dusk turned to evening and the evening to night. The group was tired but an attack could come at any time.
“We aren't all going to make it are we?” Ritter asked finally.
“I don't leave soldiers behind,” Enzi replied, “Besides, I have a lot more experience than anyone at that temple. I know a few tricks. The rest of you make camp, we will take a short rest here, then continue on in a few hours. I will go and make their pursuit a lot harder.”
Enzi dashed off into the night and Rukiya looked to the group, “Just who is that man?”
“The leader of the Irregulars,” Eurysa hissed, “He can get any job done. Just leave your trust in that.”
The light of dawn awoke Ritter. Enzi was already preparing a quick breakfast to give energy to the group.
“Well, looks like we are still here,” Ritter said.
“Oh yes, they gave chase too,” Enzi replied, “And they believe they are still chasing us. We may pass them later today, while they are searching for our trail, since it appears we went off road a few miles north of here. They will be trying to pick up our trail again, or rushing to blockade our path. I have a few good plans for almost any situation. It has been a while since I have had to think up strategy on the fly. Usually I have plenty of time to plan.”
“Then we have nothing to worry about,” Ritter said confidently.
Enzi sighed, “That feeling is what worries me the most. This is too easy. There has to be something I am not thinking of. Something I can not be prepared for.”
Enzi's Irregulars #0032
Naphar Bura looked at the corpses of the two oxen. Scavengers had already turned them into little more than skeletons. The yellow-orange dust of the badlands had tried to scour away any other evidence, but the Cleanser saw the stain of blood. The name on the side of the wagon was obvious. Enzi's Irregulars were up to something. Now they were out of their wagon and walking out in civilization. The Kurrot could not imagine that lasting for long before a mob rose up against them.
He hurr
ied down the road. He did not want to miss the opportunity to end their threat. His presence might save a few lives. As long as there were enough lives there to finish the job. Naphar wasn't about to make himself a target until he was sure he was at such an advantage that his foes had no chance of defeating him. He felt it was a prudent measure. Some of the other Cleansers thought Naphar was a coward. However, most of them were now dead. It was a dangerous job and Naphar felt justified in taking his time to make sure it was done right.
***
“Bring me the leader. Leave the rest of the corpses until we find out what happened. Then we can decide on their fate.”
“Yes, master,” a Feergrus man replied, rushing off to do as he was told.
His master was an ancient monstrosity. It was an undead who had led the Ahk Separatists for over a thousand years. He was a necromancer of exceptional power, though his body was little more than a withered husk. His life was sustained through his vast magical power. He avoided physical labor as much as he could. He was sure his undead form could handle such things, but he thought it better to yet the younger and fresher members of the separatists take the risks. He could always raise them as undead later.
The master was quite surprised that this latest group had failed. It filled him with dread as to the answer. The man he had sent was an excellent warrior and he had taken a great many skilled warriors with him. The master assumed that it had to be an error or incompetence on their part. Even the worst fears for this mission meant that they group should have had at least some success. The leader would be able to answer those questions. Soon the corpse of the man was dropped at the master's feet. He spoke a few arcane words and used a few ancient gestures.
The dead body on the ground twitched and shivered. It gasped and coughed as it tried to breathe, despite no longer needing to. The newly raised ghoul worked to understand his magically animated body. The master was patient. He had lived for many years, giving his vassal a few moments to adjust did not even register. Finally the master looked down from his throne of bones and spoke.
“I have found you and your men slain,” the master growled, “How have you failed me?”
“I apologize master,” the ghoul said in a gravelly and tentative voice.
Finding his voice, the ghoul continued, “It is as we suspected. It was General Enzi Cala who leads those mercenaries.”
“Even if he was more than your equal, you should have had more than enough men to grab the girl and bring her to me while the rest of you sacrificed yourselves for the cause.”
“We attempted that plan. However, the girl is far more dangerous than we realized. She is a war enchanter.”
“Impossible,” the master replied, “I know the real reason they send her to Ravalei. They need a necromancer for that, though admittedly an enchanter's skills would come in handy. I can not believe she is both.”
“Then perhaps she is not trained in necromancy. She certainly showed her other skills.”
“Hmm, perhaps some false information has been leaked. Or this girl is far more exceptional than even we were led to believe,” the master stated, “If this is so, then our mission is more important than ever. I will give you and your men one more chance. I will send some of my other undead warriors with you. You will be boarding the ship and bringing it back. Bring me Enzi Cala and Rukiya Bora. Alive or dead, it matters not.”
***
Luck seemed to be on their side. Enzi had seen signs where their pursuers had left the road in search of them and no sign of their return to the road. The mercenaries and their charge marched on towards Ubayyid. Time passed quickly that day and the lights of the city could be seen as they finally had to pause to rest. The mercenaries were exhausted. If their enemies were ahead of them with some sort of roadblock they would need their rest for the fight ahead.
“So what do we do if they are blocking our way?” Rukiya asked, “I can't refuse a direct command. Keeping me held only depletes your resources, whether I am held by someone or on the sidelines.”
“We don't need to fight them,” Enzi said, “If we can't ignore them, we just need to delay them. We have allies in the city, perhaps more than you know.”
“Oh, perhaps your family?” Rukiya prodded.
Enzi chuckled, “No, even if they lived here they could not aid me.”
“Didn't you see any of them on this trip?” she asked.
“No, the last time we were near any was in Iskandar,” Enzi said, “From what I know, my sister's granddaughter should be in training to be an acolyte of Rakar.”
“From what you know?” Rukiya asked.
“I have been away from Feergrus for over twenty years. She would be perhaps thirteen or fourteen. If any of the information I have is correct,” Enzi said, “I know you have guessed much. I am not exactly welcome in much of Feergrus, although the government has decided I am more useful alive.”
“I would agree with that,” Rukiya said, “Though the powerful gain powerful enemies. Much of your story becomes clear to me. I want no more information. It is easier to deny knowledge of things if you do not actually know them. A powerful enough priest could magically force a confession if they did not believe me.”
Enzi nodded and the group worked to get some rest. Morning came far too quickly. The bleary eyed warriors awoke to face the final push to the docks. As they trudged towards the city, Enzi saw a glimmer of hope. He saw their enemies. The priest and his men were rushing up the road, the mercenaries were ahead of them. Enzi grinned, his day had just been made. Even if the priest had sent some of his forces ahead, they were not nearly enough to stop the mercenaries. Without the priest to give orders to Rukiya, the rest of the trip seemed like a cakewalk.
The exhausted mercenaries quickly lost ground to their foes as they made their way to the city. They had made it halfway to the docks when the priest finally got within shouting distance.
“Halt! In the name of Chasar!”
“Ugh,” Rukiya grumbled as she ground to a standstill.
“No worries,” Enzi said, “Sometimes it takes experience to notice something that others may have missed. I suspect our priest will shortly find himself in over his head.”
The priest was panting, but grinned as if he had won. The path they were on was remarkably free of bystanders. The priest was too tired to make note of that being strange and merely took it as fortune on his side.
“You thought you could get away?” the priest snarled in Infernus, “Fleeing against orders, I would be well within my rights to kill you now. But I am a kind and generous man, I'll just kill your escorts and take you back with me Rukiya. Be a good girl and surrender.”
“As you wish,” Rukiya said with a bow, “Your orders may keep me from my mission, hopefully you will gain knowledge of it soon.”
“You have no mission, not now or ever,” the priest said.
“So you won't follow the orders of a higher ranked priest,” a voice growled.
The priest looked around as a man dropped down from the roof of a squat nearby building. The man wore no circlet so the priest snorted.
“You are no priest,” the priest said, “Get out of my business.”
“No, but Balozi Dini is,” the man replied, “And he gave you strict orders about this little group.”
The templars with the priest all looked to each other at the mention of that name as the priest spit on the ground, “Templars, this man seeks to confuse you, slay him and these foul mercenaries!”
As quick as the wind, a dozen panthers pounced down from their hidden perches. The man who had leapt down earlier transformed into a hulking hybrid of man and panther. It was the same transformation Ritter had seen from Enzi. The priest paled at the fearsome sight as the panther corralled the templars. Even they could not attack the panthers. The hybrid leapt forward with blinding speed and with one heavy swing he ripped the priest's head from his shoulders.
The hybrid snarled at Rukiya, “You seem to be the highest ranking member of the
temple of Chasar. I think these templars need your direction.”
“Flee,” Rukiya said, “Return to your temple. They have greater need of you now that their priest has betrayed them.”
The templars backed off. Enzi imagined they would stop at the local temple for new orders and reinforcements if needed but even if the temple sided with them, it would be too late. The panthers gave slow pursuit to the templars as the hybrid became human again.
“Your mission is known to us Rukiya Bora,” the man said, “Though you have questionable allies.”
“They have proven quite worthy,” Rukiya said, “And done well in their mission.”
“Yes, they have been given special dispensation from the highest level,” the man said, “Which is lucky for you, Enzi. I know who you are. I imagine you know what I am.”
“One of the Shadow Guard,” Enzi said, “I saw your trap.”
The man nodded, “I imagine you did. Tales of your skills rank you among legend and myth. Even if they are overblown in the tales, I would expect at least competence. Go about your business. None shall bar your path.”
Enzi nodded, “Let's get to the docks.”
Enzi looked at Rukiya as they walked toward their final goal. Worry filled him. Dispensation from the highest level meant only one thing to the former general. It meant that Devis Lane was involved. Enzi could not think of any situation involving Devis which did not make him uncomfortable. He wondered what exactly Rukiya's mission truly entailed. He had gained Rukiya's trust, Enzi knew he would now have to learn more about what was going on. He had hoped not to get involved. Now he saw no choice but to dive in fully.
Enzi's Irregulars #0033
The docks of Ubayyid were well maintained. The yellow-orange dust of the badlands seemed to try to get into everything, but the salty air of the sea seemed to help keep the dust levels down. Most of the ships were made to hug the coast, they were little more than barges. However, there was one full size ship at the docks. The flag it flew was instantly recognizable to Enzi. It was a pair of blue waves on a white background. That meant the ship was run by the Rava Coast Trading Company.
That had to be the ship that would take Rukiya to Ravalei. The mercenaries employed by the Rava Coast Trading company were professionals. Enzi did not agree with a lot of what the company did, but he did have respect for their mercenaries. They were treated well and were known for their loyalty and devotion. There were few warriors one could trust more. At least as long as their employers like you. Crossing the business interests of the Rava Coast Trading Company was a good way to make your life more difficult.